■^% 


^, 


^< 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


I.I 


■  5  0     "^™ 


2.5 


2.2 


lis  lllllio 


1.8 


i.25  {{1.4  mh 

^ 6" 

► 

ss 


7a 


/a 


'/ 


/A 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WHSTIR.N.Y.  MSM 

(716)  173-4503 


i\ 


^  ^ 

^ 

^^y 

^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


V 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Hiatorioal  Microraproductiona 


Inatitut  Canadian  da  nticroraproductiona  hiatoriquaa 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chacltad  balow. 


D 


D 


D 


D 
D 


0 


Colourad  covars/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


I      I    Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommag^e 

Covars  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastaurte  at/ou  palllculAa 


□    Covar  titia  missing/ 
La 


D 


titre  da  couvartura  manqua 


I      I   Colourad  maps/ 


Cartas  giographiquas  en  coulaur 

Coloured  Ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


r~~|   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  la  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  aJoutAas 
lors  dune  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6ti  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentairas  supplAmantairas: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  la  mailleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  d6tails 
da  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmaga 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


D 
D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 


I      I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


Pages  restaurias  et/ou  peliiculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe< 
Pages  d^colories,  tachettes  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  in^gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materif 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mantaire 


r~7|  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I      I  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  be  i  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  fiimies  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtenir  le  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqui  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


y 


12X 


lex 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmscl  here  has  b««n  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film*  f ut  reproduit  grice  A  la 
gAnirositi  da: 

La  bibliothique  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  end  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Lee  images  suivantes  ont  AtA  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  le  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  rexemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Lea  exempleires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimie  sont  filmte  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exempleires 
originaux  sont  filmfo  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  con*'''^  the  symbol  —^(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED       r  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whicheviu.  dpplies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 


IVIaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  ba  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  in'^iuded  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  certes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
f ilmAs  A  des  taux  da  reduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA.  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  geuche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenent  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaira.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
lllustrent  ia  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

■■Ri^ii 


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nai 


I  ■» 


-% 


^l)e  (jf^Iit^estoti  ^atnilton« 


t 


vmm^Bm 


mm. 


mmm 


tlTiie    (DUt^e^tob    ^miltOM 


m 


IRcv,  Brtbur  mentwortb  Damilton  Eaton,  3S.a. 

Butbot  o(  "Zbc  Cburcb  of  £ngbint>  in  Dova  Scotia  anb  tbe  dors  Cletos 

of  tbe  Vevoltitton,"  "Bcabfan  leaen^0  anb  lytice,"  "Sbe  1>eatt 

of  tbe  Creebs,"  &c„  Ac. 


new  Kotk 

privatels  ptfnteb 

1693 


»% 


Scl. 


^Ux% 


Arms  of  the  Dncal  Honie  of  Hamilton  from  which,  throagh  Sir  David  Hamilton  of 
Cadcow,  a  second  ion,  John  Hamilton  of  HnirbouM  and  OliTMtob,  iprang:  Oulea,  throe 
cinquefoili  ermine  (or  later,  pierced  ermine) .  Creit:  Out  of  a  dacal  coronet,  an  oak 
tree  fructed  and  penetrated  traniTenely  in  the  main  stem  by  a  frame  law  proper,  the 
frame  or.    If  otto,  "  Through. " 

Amu  probably  borne  by  the  Boreknd  Hamilton!  and  their  deac«ndant  John  Ham- 
ilton of  Ifuirhouie  and  Oliyettob,  and  about  1700,  formally  aMumed  by  John  Hamiltoti'a 
deicendants,  the  Hamiltons  of  Innerdorat:  Qulas,  a  crescent  argent  between  three 
cinquefoili  ermine  within  a  bordure  embattled  or. 

Armi  of  Colonel  Thomas  Hamilton  of  Olivestob,  fourth  son  of  John  Hamilton  of 
Mnirhouse  and  Olivestob,  registered  1678:  Qulcs,  a  martlet  between  thres  cinquefoil* 
argent,  within  a  bordure  embattled  or.  Crest:  An  antelope's  head  proper,  gorged  and 
attired  gules.    Motto,  ^^  Invia  virtuti  ptrvia" 


n&«wi^HB« 


■^ 


When  princely  Hamilton's  abode 
Ennobled  Cadyow's  Qothic  toweri. 

The  long  went  round,  the  goblet  flow'd, 
And  revel  iped  the  laaghing  bouri. 

Then,  thrilling  to  the  harp's  gay  sound, 
So  sweetly  rang  each  vaulted  wall, 

And  echoed  light  the  dancer's  bound. 
As  mirth  and  music  cheer'd  the  hall. 

But  Cadyow's  towers,  in  rnins  laid, 
And  vaults,  by  ivy  mantled  o'er. 

Thrill  to  the  music  of  the  shade. 
Or  echo  Evan's  hoarser  roar. 


(From  Sir  Walter  Scott's  "  Cadyow  Castle.") 


msB 


mm 


mmmmm 


Zbc  ®Iive0tob  1)amUton9 


THE  powerful  and  widely  spread  family  of  Hamilton  traces  to  Walter 
Fitz-Gilbert,  who  as  Sir  William  Fraser  in  his  recent  "  Memorials 
of  the  Earls  of  Haddington  "  says,  is  now  admitted  by  all  writers  to  have 
been  its  earliest  authenticated  ancestor,  the  current  traditions  of  the 
family's  noble  English  ancestry  having  been  cast  aside.  Of  Gilbert  the 
father  of  Walter,  Sir  William  adds,  notliing  definite  is  known,  but  his  son 
lived  in  the  reign  of  King  Robert  the  Bruce  (1874-1329),  and  in  reward 
for  his  services  received  grants  of  valuable  estates,  including  Cadzow, 
now  Hamilton,  and  Machan  or  Dalserf,  in  Lanarkshire,  and  Kinneil  and 
other  estates,  in  Linlithgowshire.  The  name  Hamilton  was  first  assumed, 
possibly  in  reference  to  some  previous  connexion  of  the  family  with  a 
place  of  that  name  in  England,  in  the  time  of  David,  the  grandson  of 
Walter  Fitz-Gilbert,  and  Sir  John  de  Hamilton,  the  son  and  successor  of 
this  David  Hamilton,  was  the  first  of  the  family  who  assumed  the  terri- 
torial designation  of  Hamilton  or  Cadzow.  James,  the  first  Lord  Hamil- 
ton, who  married  the  Princess  Mary  of  Scotland,  sister  to  the  reigning 
King,  James  the  Third,  was  the  grandson  of  Sir  John,  and  after  his  ele- 
vation to  the  peerage  in  1445,  and  his  alliance  with  the  royal  house,  the 
family  continued  rapidly  to  increase  in  dignities  and  estates.  James,  the 
second  Lord  Hatnilton,  was  created  Earl  of  Arran,  and  his  son,  the 
second  Earl,  was  created  Duke  of  Chatelherault  in  France.  The  Duke's 
second  son.  Lord  John  Hamilton,  was  created  Marquis  of  Hamilton,  and 
James  the  third  marquis,  was  created  Duke  of  Hamilton.  By  the  mar- 
riage of  Lady  Anne  Hamilton,  eldest  daughter  of  the  third  Marquis 
with  Lord  William  Douglas,  Earl  of  Selkirk,  who  was  created  Duke  of 
Hamilton  for  life,  the  dukedom  about  1656  passed  into  the  Douglas 
family,  the  present  Duke  being  William  Alexander  Louis  Stephen  Doug- 
las, twelfth  Duke  of  Hamilton,  ninth  Duke  of  Brandon,  Baron  Dutton, 
Duke  of  Chatelherault,  Marquis  of  Douglas  and  Clydesdale,  Earl  of  An- 
gus, Arrar,  and  Lanark,  Baron  Hamilton,  Aven,  Polmont,  Machanshire, 


8 


Innerdale,  Abernethy,  and  Jedbnrgh  Forest,  Premier  Peer  of  Scotland, 
and  Hereditary  Keeper  of  the  Palace  of  Holyrood,  who  sncceeded  his 
father  in  1863. 

Many  titled  perBonages  in  the  three  Kingdoms,  besides  the  Dnke  of 
Hamilton,  his  brother  Lord  Charles  George  Archibald  Douglas,  and  his 
sister  Lady  Mary  Victoria,  Princess  of  Monaco,  have  a  Hamilton  ances- 
try. Among  these  are  the  Duke  of  Abercorn,  who  by  virtue  of  his  de- 
scent from  Lord  Olaad  Hamilton,  fourth  son  of  the  Regent  Arran,  is  the 
heir  male  of  the  Hamilton  family  ;  his  brothers  Lord  Claud,  Lord  George 
Francis,  Lord  Frederic  Spencer,  and  Lord  Ernest  William,  Hamilton ; 
and  his  sisters,  the  Countesses  of  Litchfield,  Dalkeith,  and  Winterton ; 
Lady  Blandford,  formerly  Duchess  of  Marlborough ;  and  the  Marchioness 
of  Lansdowne;  the  Earls  of  Aberdeen,  Belfast,  Camwath,  Carrick, 
Derby  (who  by  virtue  of  his  descent  from  Lady  Elizabeth  Hamilton, 
only  daughter  of  James,  sixth  Duke  of  Hamilton,  and  her  husband  Ed- 
ward, twelfth  Earl  of  Derby,  is  the  heir-of-litu  of  the  Hamilton  family), 
Dufferin,  Dundonald,  Haddington,  Mar,  Orkney,  Roden,  Sonthesk,  and 
Stair ;  Yicounts  Bangor  and  Boyne ;  and  a  number  of  Barons,  as  Baron 
Belhaven  and  Stenton,  and  Hamilton  of  Dalzell ;  besides  many  Knights 
and  untitled  commoners  of  distinction.  The  eldest  cadet  of  the  House 
of  Hamilton  is  the  Earl  of  Haddington,  who,  like  the  descendants  of 
Colonel  Thomas  Hamilton  of  Olivestob,  traces  his  pedigree  through  the 
Hamiltons  of  Innerwick,  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  honorable  branches 
of  this  noble  house. 

Of  the  various  cadets  of  the  House  of  Hamilton,  not  a  few  settled  in 
Ayrshire,  as  for  example,  the  founders  of  the  Ardoch,  Bargeny,  Boreland, 
Boortreehill,  Beith,  Cambuskeith,  Inchgottrick,  and  Some  and  Sanqnhair 
families.  From  one  of  these  families,  that  of  Boreland,  are  immediately 
descended  the  Hamiltona  of  Olivestob,  a  family  numbering  many  dis- 
tinguished military  men,  and  allied  by  marriage  not  only  with  other  im- 
portant families  of  Hamiltons,  but  with  many  noble  Scottish  families  of 
other  names. 

Concerning  the  Boreland  Hamiltons  not  very  much  has  yet  been 
gathered.  The  family  was  founded  by  George  Hamilton,  second  son  of 
Sir  David  Hamilton  of  Cadzow  and  his  wife  Janet,  daughter  of  Sir 
William  Keith  of  Galston,  who  must  therefore  have  acquired  Boreland 


•bont  the  end  of  the  14th,  or  the  banning  of  the  15th  centaiy.*  In 
1551  George  Hamilton  of  Boreland  and  John  his  eon  had  a  remission 
under  the  Privy  Seal  for  "sjding  with  the  Earl  of  Lenox"  in  the  battle 
of  Butts,  fought  near  Glasgow  in  1543.t 

William  Hamilton  of  Boreland  was  retoured  heir  to  his  father 
Patrick  Hamilton  in  lands  in  Boreland  and  Towlach  in  1611.  Hew 
Hamilton  of  Boreland  is  mentioned  in  the  testament  of  Janet  Wilson,  in 
Bent,  in  1616 ;  X  John  Hamilton  of  Boreland  is  mentioned  in  the  Ayr 
Presbytery  records  in  1650 ;  Hugh  Hamilton  of  Boreland  executed  a 
procuratory  of  resignation  of  his  estate  in  favor  of  his  grand-daughter 
Mftrgaret,  only  child  of  the  deceased  John  Hamilton,  only  son  of  the 
said  Hugh,  June  29,  1669 ;  Margaret  Hamilton  was  married  to  Hugh 
Montgomerie  of  Prestwickshaws,  descended  from  the  Eglinton  family,  in 
1670,  and  in  1673  she  and  her  husband  had  a  charter  of  the  estate  from 
the  said  Hugh  Hamilton,  his  grandfather,  in  favor  of  them  and  their 
heirs.  In  1751  the  Boreland  property  was  sold,  and  in  1847  it  belonged 
to  the  Marquis  of  Bute. 

According  to  Nisbet ;  William  Hamilton  of  Bardanock,  in  Ayrshire, 
a  second  son  of  Hamilton  of  Boreland  (and  probably  brother  of  the 
Patrick  Hamilton  mentioned  above),  was  the  father  of  the  founder  of 
the  Olivestob  family,  who  was  John  Hamilton,  of  Edinburgh,  the 
owner  of  two  well  known  estates  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ancient  capital, 
with  both  of  which  his  and  his  family's  names  are  indissolubly  con- 
nected. The  first  of  these  estates  is  that  of  Muirhouse,  often  called 
Murrays,  in  Cramond  Parish,  not  more  than  four  miles  from  Edinburgh, 
a  handsome  estate  of  some  three  hundred  acres,  originally,  it  is  believed, 
a  hunting  seat  of  the  Scottish  kings,  and  later,  in  1316,  deeded  by  King 
Robert  Bruce  to  Sir  William  Oliphant  of  Aberdalgy.§  From  the 
Oliphant  family  it  was  bought  by  John  Hamilton'  in  1620,  but  passing 


*  Jamei  Pateraoo'a  Hiitory  of  Ayrshire,  Vol.  I.,  p.  869.    Paterson'a  History  of  Ayr 
and  Wigton,  Vol.  I.,  p.  818.     Boreland  was  in  the  Parish  of  Comnock. 

t  Anderson's  House  of  Hamilton,  Supplement,  1827. 

t  Commissary  Records  of  Glasgow. 

g  Wood's  "Cramond  Parish,"  pp.  38-26,  which  contain  a  lengthy  account  of  this 
interesting  estate.    See  also  "Castles  and  Mansions  of  the  Lothians." 


■  J'4»;4a!W 


sws 


9H 


iHIM 


10 

to  "William  Hamilton,'  hlj  son,  was  sold  by  him  about  1662  to  John  Den- 
holm,  and  in  time  came  to  the  present  owner  William  Davidson,  Esq. 
The  other  estate  was  that  of  Olivestob,  in  East  Lothian,  about  ten  miles 
to  the  east  of  Edinburgh,  a  property  that  seems  to  have  belonged  in  1632 
to  Morrison  of  Prestongrange,  and  a  little  later  to  the  Setons,  for  Alex- 
ander Viscount  Kingston  in  his  history  of  the  house  of  Seton  written  in 
1687,  says,  regarding  his  uncle  Sir  Thomas  Seton,  fourth  son  of  Robert 
first  Earl  of  Winton,  "  This  Sir  Thomas  Seton  was  provided  by  his 
father  to  the  lands  of  Holiestob,  now  vulgo  Olivestobe,"  and  Wood  in  his 
Peerage,  Vol.  II.,  p.  645,  calls  the  Hon.  Sir  Thomas  Seton,  "ancestor  to 
the  Setons  of  Olivestob."  The  original  name  of  this  estate  is  com- 
monly believed  to  have  been  Holy  Stob,  the  place  where  the  "  host 
stopt "  when  it  was  being  carried  in  procession  from  Preston  to  the  Cis- 
tercian Abbey  of  Newbattle  near  by.  It  is  supposed  that  John  Hamil- 
ton bought  Olivestob  from  Sir  John  Seton,  brother  of  the  earl  of  Winton,* 
for  his  country  residence  very  soon  after  he  bought  Muirhouse,  for 
that  he  was  living  at  Olivestob  in  1624  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  that 
year,  " being  ane  honest  man  and  ready  to  every  good  work"  as  the  ses- 
sion register  declares,  "John  Hamilton  of  Olivestob"  was  on  his  own  re- 
quest cheerfully  assigned  a  seat  in  Prestonpans  Kirk.  To  the  time  of 
his  death,  however,  he  is  usually  called  "  John  Hamilton  of  Muirhouse," 
and  there  is  little  doubt  that  though  the  mansion  of  Olivestob  may  have  been 
finer  than  that  of  Muirhouse,  f  so  making  Olivestob  more  desirable  for 
residence,  the  estate  of  Muirhouse  was  considerably  the  more  important. 
Olivestob  House,  which  since  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
has  been  known  as  Bankton,  is  a  stately  old  mansion,  near  the  Preston- 

•  Th«t  others  of  the  Hamiltoiu,  perhaps  members  of  the  Preston  family,  at  times 
were  connected  with  the  estate  of  Olivestob,  is  clear  from  various  records  as  tor  ex- 
ample :  David  Hamilton  of  Langton  and  Olivestob  was  married  to  Margaret,  second 
daughter  of  George  Lord  Seton.  He  died  without  issue  in  1560.  Anderson's  House 
of  Hamilton,  p,  846.  Oeorge  Hamilton  of  Over  OHvealob  is  mentioned  in  a  document 
dated  July  4,  1638.  He  lends  forty- six  pounds  to  James  Bruce  in  Longniddrie,  Reg- 
ister of  Deeds,  vol.  617.  The  latter  allusion  it  is  difficult  to  understand,  for  at  this 
time  Olivestob  was  owned,  it  would  seem,  by  John  Hamilton. 

t  The  old  Mansion  of  Muirhouse  was  built  about  1670,  but  of  it  only  two  round 
towers  remain.  The  present  house,  which  is  of  ornate  architecture,  was  built  about 
1880.     "CaiUuand  Man$ion»  of  the  Lothian*. ' ' 


11 

pans  railway  station,  standing  amid  fine  trees,  with  magnificent  gardens 
behind  it,  and  broad  fields  stretching  backward  towards  the  town  of 
Tranent.  Almost  directly  opposite,  a  few  rods  away,  ia  the  tower  of 
the  Preston  Hamiltons,  now  owned  by  Sir  William  Stirling  Hamilton, 
Bart.,  who  represents  the  Preston  family;  and  about  two  miles  further 
east,  a  little  toward  the  Firth  of  Forth,  is  Seton  Castle,  which  stands  on 
the  site  of  Seton  Palace,  so  famous  in  days  gone  by.  In  a  field  a  little  to 
the  eastward  is  the  site  of  the  memorable  battle  of  Prestonpans,  and  in 
the  lawn  of  Bankton  stands  a  monument  to  the  good  Colonel  Gardiner, 
the  owner  of  Oliyestob  at  the  time  of  his  death,  who  fell  in  this  battle  in 
1745.  The  interior  of  the  house  was  once  throughout  richly  panelled  in 
oeV,  but  a  fire  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  swept  through  it 
and  destroyed  all  the  wood-work. 

Of  the  family  of  John  Hamilton  of  Muirhouse  and  Olivestob,  we 
find  a  pretty  complete  record  on  the  Registers  of  the  old  Parish  of  Edin- 
burgh. Like  his  brother  Hugh,  who  was  also  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
Edinburgh  and  a  merchant  there,  and  of  whose  family  we  have  a  full 
record,  Mr.  Hamilton  must  have  come  in  very  early  manhood  from 
Ayrshire  to  the  capital  city.  He  was  married  three  times.  His  first 
wife  was  Margaret  Logan,  who  bore  him  children  :  John,'  bap.  May  8, 
1614 ;  Agnes,'  bap.  July  26,  1616,  and  Susanna,'  bap.  Sept,  1,  1622.  He 
m.  (2)  Catherine  Brown,  and  by  her  had  children:  John,'  bap.  January 
25,  1629;  and  Margaret,'  bap.  May  30,  1630.  His  third  wife  was  Anna 
Elphinstone,  whom  he  married,  it  is  likely,  in  1632,  and  who  bore  him 
thirteen  children : 


Anna,*     baptised 

IS  March,  1688. 

Willia.a,»      " 

9  March,  1684. 

James,' 

34  September,  I68S 

Thomas,*         " 

2\  April,  1688. 

Alexander,'  " 

3  June,  1689. 

Henry,'         " 

21  October,  1640. 

John,               " 

25  January,  1643. 

Lilias.i 

34  April,  164B. 

Margaret,'      " 

28  July,  1647. 

Hu);h,*            " 

6  August,  1649. 

Frederic,* 

David,' 

Elizabeth,' 

*PI 


^' 


12 


M 


Anna  Elphinetone,  the  third  wife  of  John  Hamilton  and  the  mother 
of  theee  thirteen  children,  belonged  to  a  most  distingniahed  family.  Her 
father  was  James  Elphinstone  of  Innerdovat  in  Fife,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Firtli  of  Tay,  nearly  opposite  Dundee,  who  held  the  exalted  post  of 
Cupbearer  to  King  James  the  Sixth.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Alexander, 
second  Lord  Elphinetone,  who  fell  at  the  Battle  of  Pinkie,  in  1548,  and 
the  grandson  of  Alexander,  first  Lord  Elphinstone,  who  fell  at  Flodden, 
in  1513.  His  daughter  Anna  was  therefore  also  the  niece  of  Robert, 
third  Lord  Elphinstone,  and  first  cousin  of  Alexander,  fourth  Lord  El- 
phinstone, and  his  brother  Sir  James,  who  in  1602-3  was  created  Lord 
Balmerino.*  Her  grandmother.  Lady  Elphinstone,  a  peer's  daughter, 
was  from  another  noble  family,  the  Erskines,  her  father  being  Bobert, 
third  Lord  Erskine.  Anna  Elphinstone  Hamilton  was  an  only  daughter, 
but  she  had  a  brother  James,  who  probably  died  without  issue,  leaving 
the  lands  of  Innerdovat,  as  we  shall  see,  to  his  sister's  second  son  James. 

On  the  register  of  the  Great  Seal  of  Scotland,  under  date  June  1, 
1644,  appears  a  charter  of  resignation  by  King  Charles  the  First  "  to  John 
Hamilton,  lawful  son  of  John  Hamilton  of  Muirhouse,  procreate  between 
him  and  the  late  Catherine  Brown,  his  second  wife,  and  the  lawful  heirs 
male  of  his  body,  whom  failing  to  William  Hamilton,  eldest  lawful  son 
of  the  said  John  Hamilton,  Sr.,  procreate  between  him  and  Anna  Elphin- 
stone, his  third  spouse,  and  the  lawful  heirs  male  of  his  body  lawfully 
to  be  procreated,  whom  failing  to  James  Hamilton  his  brother  german 
and  the  heirs  male  of  his  body,  lawfully  to  be  procreated,  whom  failing 
to  Thomas  Hamilton  and  the  heirs  male  of  his  body,  lawfully  to  be  pro- 
created whom  failing  to  Alexander  Hamilton,  also  his  brother  german, 
and  the  heirs  male  of  his  body,  lawfully  to  be  procreated,  whom  failing 
to  Henry  Hamilton,  also  his  brother  german,  and  the  heirs  male  of  his 
body,  lawfully  to  be  procreated,  whom  failing  to  John  Hamilton,  also  his 
brother  german,  and  the  heirs  male  of  his  body,  lawfully  to  be  procreated, 
whom  also  failing  to  the  lawful  and  nearest  heirs  whomsoever,  between 
the  Suid  John  Hamilton  elder,  and  Anna  Elphinstone,  his  present  spouse, 
to  be  procreated,  whom  all  ^ailing  to  the  said  John  Hamilton,  Sr.,  his 


*  John,  third  Lord  Balmerinu,  aucceeding  to   hia  uncle's  titles,   became  Lord 
Coupar;  he  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  John,  earl  of  Lodoun, 


18 

heirs  and  assigns  whatsoever,  all  and  whole  the  said  John  Hamilton 
elder's,  lands  and  barony  of  Muirhouse  and  Naikeders,  which  were  acquired 
by  the  said  John  Hamilton,  St.,  from  Sir  James  Oliphant  of  Newton, 
March  6, 1620,  on  which  date  the  said  John  Hamilton,  Sr.,  and  Catherine 
Brown  his  wife  received  a  charter  under  the  great  seal  of  these  lands." 
It  is  also  here  stated  that  John  Hamilton,  Sr.,  on  the  24th  of  February, 
1643,  resigned  the  charter  of  these  lands  "in  favor  of  his  son  John  and' 
remanent  children."*  One  of  the  things  that  this  important  document 
shows  us,  is  that  at  this  time  John  of  Muirhouse  had  two  sons  living, 
bearing  his  own  name,  which  was  not,  however,  in  those  days,  it  is  said^ 
an  uncommon  occurrence.  The  elder  of  these  half-brothers,  the  John 
whose  mother  was  Catherine  Brown,  must  have  died  in  boyhood,  for  the 
property  of  Muirhouse  soon  came  to  William  Hamilton',  the  elc'est  son 
of  John  Hamilton  and  his  third  wife  Anna  Elphinstone,  who  was  the 
second  heir  mentioned  in  the  charter  of  1684. 

Of  the  sons  of  John'  and  Anna  Elphinstone,  Alexander,'  and  Divid,' 
we  know  only  that  they  were  merchants  in  Edinburgh,  and  that  JJavid' 
married  Margaret  Gourlay,  and  had  a  son  Alexander,  baptized  July  26, 
1682.  Of  Hugh'  we  know  nothing  after  his  baptism.  Of  the  daughters, 
Lilias'  had  a  deed  of  property  from  her  father,  "  John  Hamilton  of  Muir- 
house," June  19,  1661,  shortly  before  his  death ;  which  deed  is  recorded 
August  9,  1662,  John  Hamilton  being  then  deceased.  Of  Anna'  and 
Margaret'  we  know  nothing.  Of  Elizabeth,'  the  youngest,  we  know  that 
she  was  first  the  wife  of  James  Hamilton  of  the  Bangour  family,  aud  thus 
mother  of  the  poet,  William  Hamilton  of  Bangour,  author  of  the 
famous  Jacobite  song  of  "  Gladsmuir,"  who  was  born  in  1704  and  died 
at  Lyons,  March  25,  1754 ;  and  of  the  Countess  Margaret,  third  wife  of 
Robert,  sixth  Earl  of  Carnwath.  After  the  death  of  her  first  husband 
James  Hamilton  of  Bangour,  Elizabeth'  became  the  second  wife  of  Sir 
Hew  Dalrymple,  Bart.,  of  North  Berwick,  third  son  of  James,  first  Vis- 
count Stair,  to  whom  she  bore  two  daughters.     Sir  Hew,  whose  first 

•  The  next  charter  on  the  Register  of  the  Great  Seal,  after  that  to  John  Hamilton, 
it  curiously  one  dated  81  July,  1637,  to  James  Elphinstone,  of  the  lands  of  Innerdorat, 
in  Fife  It  reads:  "  To  James  Elphinstone  of  Innerdovat  and  the  lawful  heirs  of  his 
body  to  be  procreated,  whom  failing  to  JohnHamilton  of  Muirhouse  and  the  heirs  to  bp 
born  between  him  and  Anna  Elphinstone,  his  spouse,  only  sitter  of  the  said  James." 


tmmm 


^mmmm 


14 

wife  was  Marion,  daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Hamilton  of  Pressmanen,  was 
created  a  Baronet  of  Nova  Scotia,  April  twentieth,  1698,  and  was  Lord 
President  of  the  Court  of  Session  for  many  years  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  first,  1737.  He  was  succeeded  in  tlie  baronetcy  by 
his  grandson  Hew.  The  present  representative  of  the  Dalrymple  family, 
which  is  closely  allied  to  that  of  the  Earls  of  Stair,  is  Sir  Walter-Hamil- 
ton Dalrymple,  Bart.,  of  North  Berwick.  The  present  Earl  of  Stair  is 
Sir  John  Hamilton-Dalrymple. 

John  Hamilton  of  Muirhouse,  as  we  have  seen,  died  some  time  be- 
tween June  19,  1661,  and  August  9,  1662,  and  was  probably  buried,  as 
no  doubt  were  most  of  his  descendants  who  remained  in  Edinburgh,  in 
the  old  Greyfriars  Churchyard,  or  else  the  Churchyard  near  St.  Giles 
Cathedral,  that  has  now  disappeared. 


t' 


mm 


t 


SECOND  AND  THIRD  GENERATIONS 

William  Hamilton' (Jolin"  and -Anna  Elpliinstone),  baptized  March 
*,  1634.  There  are  several  notices  of  William  Hamilton'  in  parish  rec- 
ords and  printed  books.  He  married  Sarah  Haliburton  (usually  spelled 
Haljburton),  succeeded  to  the  family  estates  before  1663,  and  died  be- 
fore 1707.  In  the  parish  records  of  Prestonpans  are  notices  of  the  bap- 
tisms of  two  of  his  children,  William  baptized  May  24, 1672,  and  Helen 
baptized  January  7,  1675.* 

In  the  will  of  his  brother  Henry  in  1707,  three  other  children  are 
mentioned,  a  eon  Arthur,  a  daughter  Gartrick,  and  a  daughter  Sarah, 
who  was  then  married.    In  1665  (October  Ist)  William   appears  as  a 
witness  at  the  baptism  of  Helen,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Patrick  Cook, 
sometime  minister  of  Prestonpans,  and  Margaret  Cockburn,  his  wife. 
He  was  then,  therefore,  probably  living  at  Olivestob,  though  like  liis 
father  he  is  called  William  Hamilton  of  Mnrrays.    In  Wood's  "  Cramond 
Parish,"  pp.  23-26,  in  the  lengthy  description  of  Muirhouse  already  re- 
ferred to,  the  author  says :  John  Hamilton  was  succeeded  in  the  estate  by 
"  his  eldest  son  William  Hamilton  of  Muirhouse,  bom  (baptized)  9  March, 
1634,  who  about  1662  sold  this  estate,  and  in  his  old  age  fell  into  a  situation 
80  distressful  that  in  1695  several  heritors  of  the  parish  of  Cramond 
presented  a  recommendation  in  his  favour  to  the  Kirk  Session."    In 
this  recommendation  he  is  called  "  William  Hamilton,  sometime  of  Muir- 
house, who  was  born  and  bred  in  this  parish,"  and  is  said  to  have  "  a 
numerous  family  of  small  children,  and  by   God's  providence  not  to 
have  wherewith  to  maintain  and  educate  them."    When  he  died  is  not 
known,  but  his  widow  Sarah  died  in  Edinburgh  in  September,  1721,  and 
her  testament  dative  is  recorded   by  Captain  Alexander  Campbell,  of 
Brigadier  Stanwick's  Regiment  of    Foot,  a    creditor.     Her    children 
"  Arthur  Hamilton  and  Gartharet  Hamilton  residenter  in  the  Canongate, 
lawfull  son  and  daughter,  and  nearest  of  kin  to  ye  said  defunct,"  are  also 
named.    Mrs.  Hamilton  is  here  called  "  the  widow  of  William  Hamilton 

•  This  record  was  (fiven  me  by  the  late  Hev.  Dr.  Struthere,  for  many  years  parish 
minister  of  Prestonpans. 


i 


f 


T 


16 

of  Olivestob."  What  bscaine  of  the  family  of  William  and  Sarah 
Hamilton  is  not  known,  but  wherever  the  descendants  of  this  the  eldest 
branch  of  the  Olivestob  family  may  be,  if  any  of  them  are  living  it  is 
clear  that  the  heirship  of  line  of  the  family  is  among  them.  If  any  of 
their  descendants  of  the  name  of  Hamilton  remain,  here  also  is  the  true 
heirship  male. 


Jaues  Hamilton'  (John'  and  Anna  Elphinstone),  baptized  Septem- 
ber 24,  1635.  Of  James  Hamilton'  we  have  little  knowledge,  but  what 
we  have  is  interesting.  He  was  named  for  his  grandfather  Elphinstone, 
and  eventually  became  heir  to  the  Elphinstone  estate  at  Innerdovat  in 
Fife,  his  uncle  James  Elphinstone  undoubtedly  having  no  children.  To 
the  latter  a  charter  under  the  Great  Seal,  of  the  lands  of  Innerdovat,  is 
given  July  31,  1637.  In  this  charter  the  children  of  John  Hamilton  and 
Anna  Elphinstone  his  wife,  are  named  as  heirs  to  the  property,  in  the 
event  of  the  failure  of  direct  heirs  to  the  grantee.  Our  information  re- 
garding the  family  of  "  James  Hamilton  of  Innerdovat,"  as  he  is  always 
styled,  comes  from  two  different  sources.  From  a  record  in  the  Lord 
Lyon's  Office  we  learn  that  about  1700,  Alexander  Hamilton  of  Inner- 
dovat, "  only  lawful  child  procreat  between  Gavin  Hamilton  of  vleland, 
and  Isobell  Hamilton,  heiress  of  Innerdovat,  descended  of  the  Hamiltons 
of  Boreland,"  registered  the  following  arms  :  gules,  a  crescent  argent  be- 
tween three  cinquefoils  ermine  within  a  bordure  embattled  or  (1st  and 
4th  quarters).  These  he  impaled  with  the  Elphinstone  arms :  Argent,  on 
a  chevron  sable  between  three  boars'  heads  erased  gules,  armed  of  the 
second,  a  crescent  of  the  first  (2d  and  3d  quarters).  The  crescent  on 
these  Hamilton  arms,  coupled  with  the  reference  in  the  memorandum 
appended  to  their  registration  in  the  Lord  Lyon's  Office,  to  the  family's 
descent  from  the  Hamiltons  of  Boreland,  is  perhaps  to  be  explained  by 
the  supposition  that  the  Boreland  Hamiltons  from  the  beginning  had 
used  the  arms  of  the  Ducal  House  from  which  they  were  sprung,  with 
the  difference  of  a  crescent,  the  crescent  being  the  mark  of  cadency  of  a 
second  son.  This  would  of  course  indicate  the  settled  tradition  in  the 
Boreland  family  of  their  ancestor,  George  Hamilton's  having  been  a 


■i' 


11 

teoond  son  of  Sir  David  Hamilton  of  Cadzow,  as  he  is  usually  declared 
to  be.    Gavin  Hamilton  of  Cleland,  one  of  the  Under  Clerks  of  Session, 
had  married,  then,  Isobell,  the  eldest  daughter  of  James  Hamilton  of  In- 
nerdovat,  who  because  she  had  no  brothers  became  her  father's  heir.  She 
had  a  sister,  however,  as  we  shall  see.      Gavin  and  Isobell  had  a  son 
Walter,  baptized  May  11,  1694,  Isobell's  uncles  Alexander,  John  and 
Henry  Hamilton  being  witnesses.    Other  witnesses  were  James  Hamil- 
ton, clerk  in  the  Canongate  (perhaps  a  brother  of  Gavin's),  Dr.  James 
Nlsbet,  who  seems  to  have  been  the  physician  of  most  of  the  Olivestob 
family  at  this  period,  and  David  Crawf  urd.  Secretary  to  the  Duke  of 
Hamilton.    The  child  was  born  "  April  27,  last,  in  ye  morning  early." 
Daniel  Hamilton   writer,  and  his  wife    Margaret  Murray  had  a  son 
Gideon,  baptized  September  1,  1695,  at  which  baptism  both  Gavin  and 
James  Hamilton  were  witnesses.    Tliis  Daniel  Hamilton,  who  in  1707 
was  Clerk  to  the  Admiralty,  was  a  aon  of  Robert  Hamilton,  of  Barn- 
cluith.  Lord  Pressmanen  and  a  brother  of  the  second  Lord  Belhaven. 
He  had  another  brother,  Henry  Hamilton,  a  surgeon  in  Edinburgh,  who 
married  Catherine  Ross,  daughter  of  James  Ross  and  his  wife  Anna 
Strachan  of  Swanstown,  and  there  may  have  been  some  near  relation- 
ship between  Gavin  and  them.     At  any  rate,  not  only  were  Daniel  and 
Henry  on  intimate  terms  with  Gavin,  but  they  were  also  intimate  with 
Henry'  of  Olivestob,  from  whom,  as  we  learn  from  the  latter's  will,  they 
had  borrowed  in  1706,  a  thousand  pounds,  Scots  money.     It  is  indeed 
quite  possible  that  the  younger  Henry  was  a  namesake  of  the  elder,  for 
the  name  Henry  is  of  very  rare  occurrence  at  this  early  time,  or  indeed 
at  any  time,  among  the  Scottish  Hamiltons.      In  the  will  of  Henry 
Hamilton'  of  Olivestob,  another  daughter  of  his  brother  James  of  Inuer- 
dovat  is  mentioned.    This  is  "  Ann  Hamilton,  second  lawful  daughter  of 
the  late  James  Hamilton  of  Innerdovat,  my  brother,  now  spouse  to  John 
Burns  of  Middlemilne."      Her  children,  John,  Alexander,  and  Mary 
Burns,  are  also  mentioned ;  and  from  the  Forgan,  Fife,  parish  register 
we  learn   that   John  Burns  of  Middlemilne  had  a  daughter    Isobell 
baptized  March  14  (?),  1705.     In  the  issue  of  these  two  daughters,  then, 
we  have  probably  all  the  descendants  of  James"  of  Innerdovat,  to  whom 
we  find  no  reference  after  1685.     In  this  year,  August  let,  he  appears  as 
a  witness  at  the  baptism  of  his  brother  Henry's  child,  Thomas. 


f 


II 


18 

OoLoma.  Thokas  Hamilton*  (John',  and  Anna  Elphinstone),  baptized 
April  21, 1638. 

The  record  of  Oolonel  Thomas  Hamilton,  as  given  by  Anderson,  is 
that  in  early  life  he  served  with  reputation  in  the  Swedish  Army,  and 
after  his  return  to  Scotland  about  the  year  1670,  became  a  merchant  in 
Edinburgh,  being  elected  one  of  the  magistrates  of  that  city.  He  is 
mentioned  with  applause  by  Lord  Kaimes  in  his  Law  Tracts,  and  by 
Fonntainehall,  in  his  Decisions,  "  for  bringing  the  other  magistrates  to 
account  for  their  intromission  with  the  Guid  Town's  revenue."  At  the 
Revolution  of  1688,  when  James  II.  was  driven  from  the  English  throne 
and  William  and  Mary  were  seated  thereon,  a  regiment  was  raised  in 
Edinburgh  of  which  Mr.  Hamilton  was,  by  the  Committee  of  Estates, 
appointed  Lieutenant  Colonel.  This  Committee  of  Estates  was  the  out- 
come of  a  meeting  of  the  Scottish  nobility  and  gentry  held  in  London, 
on  the  arrival  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  in  1688,  of  which  William,  Mar- 
quis of  Douglas,  third  Duke  of  Hamilton,  was  elected  President.  These 
gentlemen  framed  an  address,  January  10, 1689,  requesting  the  Prince 
to  assume  the  government  and  to  call  a  Convention  of  Estates.  The 
Convention  met  at  Edinburgh,  March  14,  1689,  and  being  resolved  into 
a  Parliament  the  following  June,  the  Duke  was  constituted  their  Majes- 
ties' Lord  High  Commissioner  thereto,  His  Grace  also  being  given  the 
office  of  President  of  the  Council  and  High  Admiral  of  Scotland.  The 
Hamiltons  were  now,  accordingly,  in  great  favor  in  the  kingdom, 
and  the  position  occupied  by  Captain  Thomas  Hamilton,  as  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  of  the  Edinburgh  Regiment,  was  only  one  of  the 
honors  borne  by  the  family.  Of  the  service  in  which  Mr.  Hamilton  had 
been  engaged  in  Sweden  before  1670,  we  have  no  knowledge,  but  it  is 
at  least  certain  that  in  the  Swedish  Army  he  had  attained  the  rank  of 
Captain.  One  mark  left  by  that  service  on  the  family  was  probably  the 
name  Otho,  which  he  gave  his  youngest  son,  a  name  which  has  been  per- 
petuated in  the  family  to  the  present  time,  and  which  occurs  in  no  other 
branch  of  the  Hamilton  family  in  Great  Britain  or  America. 

At  some  period,  we  do  not  know  exactly  when,  he  bought  the  estate 
of  Olivestob  from  his  less  fortunate  brother  William,  and  probably  in 
1674,  married  Grizel  Hamilton  of  the  Westport  family,  daughter  of  James 
Hamilton  and  his  wife  Anna,  daughter  of  Sir  Patrick  Hamilton  of  Little 


hi 


»i»ii^»»^wnw  m< 


19 

Preston.  In  this  way  several  important  brandies  of  the  Hamilton  family 
became  closely  connected,  and  those  of  as  who  are  fortunate  enough  to 
be  descended  from  Colonel  Thomas  Hamilton'  can  also  trace  our  ancestry 
on  his  wife's  side  back  to  the  original  stock,  through  the  Hamiltons  of 
Westport,  Silvertonhill,  Innerwick,  Little  Preston,  and  Fala,  and  can 
claim  a  near  relationship  to  the  Earls  of  Haddington,  Sir  Patrick  Hamil- 
ton of  Little  Preston,  maternal  grandfather  of  Grizel  Hamilton  having 
been  a  brother  of  Thomas,  first  Earl  of  Haddington. 

August  25,  1673,  Captain  Thomas  Hamilton'  recorded  his  arms  in 
the  Lyon  Office  in  Edinburgh  as  follows : 

Gules,  a  martlet  between  three  cinquefoils  argent,  within  a  bordnre 
embattled  or.  His  crest  and  motto  were.  Crest:  an  antelope's  head 
proper,  gorged  and  attired  gules ;  Motto :  "Invia  virtuti  pervia."  The 
martlet  was  undoubtedly  assumed  by  Captain  Thomas  in  reference  to  his 
being  the  fourth  son  of  his  father  John. 

The  family  of  Colonel  Thomas  Hamilton'  and  his  wife  Grizel 
Hamilton,  was  a  large  one,  but  unfortunately  the  baptisms  of  only  six  of 
their  children  are  recorded.  The  names  of  the  others,  however,  have  in 
one  way  or  anotlier  been  preserved,  and  are  here  given  in  as  nearly  as 
possible  their  true  order.    They  are  as  follows : 


James,*     baptized 

17  June,  1675. 

Alexander,' 

" 

10  Dec,  1676. 

Anna,' 

(1 

27  March,  1679 

Archibald* 

t( 

21  April.  1681. 

Robina,' 

(( 

18  May,  1682. 

William,* 

Andrew,' 

Alexander,* 

«c 

ePeb'y.,  1687. 

Otho,* 

Helen,' 

Martha,' 

At  the  baptism  of  Jamea^  the  witnesses  were :  James  Hamilton  of 

Westport,  James  Hamilton  of  Innerdovat,  James  Murray  of  Skirling 

James  Murray,  Clerk  to  His  Majesty's  Guard  of  Horse,  Sir  Alexander 

Bruce,  of  Broomhall,  George  Murray,  Comet  to  His  Majesty's  Guard  of 

Horse,  Captain  Andrew  Dick,  &c.    At  the  baptism  of  Arohilald  the 


,1 


20 

witnesses  were :  Archibald  Ea/rl  of  Forfwr,  Mr.  "Walter  Pringle,  advo- 
cate, Mr.  John  Findlay,  Procurator  Fiscal ;  Mr.  James  Elphinstone,  W. 
S.,  and  Alexander  and  Henry  Hamilton,  merchants,  "  brothers  german 
to  the  said  Thomas."  Of  William  IlamUtan?  we  know  nothing  but  his 
name.  He  was  at  the  baptism  of  the  eldest  child  of  his  brother  James', 
in  1713,  and  he  and  his  brother  Alexander'  were  among  the  witnesses. 
Of  Andrevfi,  Anderson  says :  "  he  perished  in  the  Darien  expedition," 
and  we  know  that  there  was  an  Andrew  Hamilton,  in  1700,  a  Councillor 
of  the  ill-fated  Darien  colony.  (See  the  Darien  Papers,  edited  by  the 
Bannatyne  Club  in  1849.)  Alexander  as  we  have  said,  appeared  at  the 
baptism  of  James  his  nephew  in  1713.  Of  him  Anderson  says :  "  He  was 
a  brave  oflScer,  who  died  in  Ireland  in  1738,  and  left  no  family.  Of 
Frederick^  we  only  know  that  he  died  in  Edinburgh,  in  August,  1718, 
his  testament  dative  being  given  November  10,  1719,  by  Mr.  James 
Hamilton,  of  Olivestob,  "  only  executor  dative."  Of  the  daughters  of 
Thomas  and  Grizel  Hamilton,  Anna\  the  eldest,  became  the  wife  of 
Colonel  Alexander  Urqnhart,  of  Cromarty  and  later  Newhall,  and  had 
among  her  child-sn  Grizel,  who  married  the  Earl  of  Carnwath,  and 
Elizabeth,  who  married  her  cousin  M*jor  Thomas  Hamilton  of  Olivestob, 
eldest  son  of  her  uncle  James'.  Helen}  was  married  about  1702,  to  her 
cousin.  Sir  Walter  Sandilands  Hamilton,  a  son  of  Walter  Sandilands  and 
his  wife  Anna  Hamilton,  of  the  Westport  family.  Sir  Walter  was  Aid- 
de-Camp  to  General  Churchill  and  served  thirteen  campaigns  under  the 
Duke  of  Marlborough :  he  and  his  wife  Helen'  had  children  :  (1)  James  S., 
a  captain  in  the  army,  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fontenay ;  (2j  Thomas,  also 
a  captain  in  the  army,  *ho  served  with  distinction ;  (3)  Grizel  who  was 
married  to  John  Ferrier,  Esqr.,  of  Eenfrewshire,  and  had  children : 
William,  who  became  heir  to  the  Westport  Hamilton  estates,  Walter, 
Thomas,  Otho,  James,  Hay,  and  at  least  eight  others. 

Of  the  remaining  three  sons  of  Colonel  Thomas  Hamilton,"  viz., 
Jamea,^  Archibald,^  and  Otho,^  and  their  descendants,  something  will  be 
said  farther  on. 


\ 


SI 

Henry  Hamilton'  (John'  and  Anna  Elphinstone),  baptized  October 
21,  1640,  waa  a  merchant  of  note  in  Edinburgh.  He  was  undoubtedly 
named  for  "  Ilarie  Elphinstone  of  Calder  Hall,"  who  waa  one  of  the  wit- 
nessess  at  his  baptism,  as  also  at  his  sister  Lilias'.  He  married,  in  middle 
life,  Margaret  Qourlay  (who  may  have  been  his  brother  David's  widow), 
who  was  a  sister  of  Clement  Gourlay  of  North  Charltonn.  They  had  a 
son  Thomas,'  baptized  Augnst  1,  1685,  at  which  baptism  the  names  of 
five  of  Henry's  brothers  appear,  viz.,  Thomas,  Alexander,  John,  Fred- 
erick, and  James.  Both  mother  and  child  must  soon  have  died,  for 
when  Henry  liimself  died  in  1708,  he  was  evidently  a  widower  and 
childless. 

The  first  notice  wo  have  of  Henry  Hamilton'  as  a  man,  is  in  the 
Dictionary  of  Decisions,  vol.  23,  p.  9656,  under  date  of  February  21, 
1663.  At  that  time  we  find  that  "  Hary  Hamilton  pursues  his  brother 
William  as  behaving  himself  as  heir  to  their  father  John  Hamilton  to 
pay  6000  merks  of  provision  by  bond,  and  condescends  that  William  in- 
tromitted  with  th?  rents  of  the  lands  of  Uliatobe  wherennto  his  father 
had  heritable  right,"  etc.,  etc. 

The  will  of  Henry  Hamilton  was  made  September  17,  1707,  and 
recorded  February  4,  1708.  It  begin,  «  I,  Henry  Hamilton,  merchant  in 
Edinbnrgli,  knowing  that  nothing  is  more  certain  than  death  and  nothing 
more  uncertain  than  the  time  and  place  thereof,  And  being  desirous  to 
order  my  affairs  so  that  there  be  no  debate  among  my  friends  thereanent 
after  my  decease,  do  therefore  make  my  latter  will  and  testament  as  fol- 
lows: viz.:  I  doe  nominate  and  appoint  Gavin  Hamilton  of  Innerdovat, 
one  of  the  Sub  Clerks  of  Session,  and  John  Cunningham  of  Ballandalloch, 
Writer  to  tho  Signet,  to  be  my  executors."  (Of  these  executors  his 
nephew  Gavin  alone  acted.)  He  leaves  by  this  will  a  thousand  merks, 
Scotch  money,  to  his  brother-in-law,  Clement  Gourlay  of  North  Charl- 
tonn, and  failing  of  him  by  decease  to  his  childrvin  ;  a  thousand  merks  to 
Janet  Wylie,  his  servitour ;  a  thousand  merks  to  Sarah  Hamilton,  daugh- 
ter of  his  late  brother  William  of  Olivestob,  and  failing  of  her  by  decease 
to  her  children ;  two  thousand  merks  to  Arthur  and  Gartrick  Hamilton, 
"children  to  the  said  umquhile  William  Hamilton, equally  betwixt  them' 
and  the  deceasand's  part  to  fall  to  the  survivor"  ;  two  thousand  merks  to 
Sarah  Hamilton,  daughter  of  his  late  brother  Frederick,  and  failing  of 


•^'^-^m 


tm^i^ 


22 

her  by  decease  before  marriage,  tlie  life  rent  to  belong  to  her  mother 
and  the  fee  thereof  to  the  children  of  Marga;  _i  and  Christian  (his  iirst 
cousins)  daughters  of  Hew  Hamilton,  sometime  Baillie  of  Edinburgh : 
two  thousand  marks  to  Alexander,  son  of  his  nephew  Gavin,  and  failing 
of  him  by  decease  to  Isobell  Hamilton,  his  mother ;  two  thousand  merks  to 
Captain  John  Findlay,  and  his  brother  Mr.  James  Findlay,  W.  S.  (who 
were  probably  some  relation  to  the  testator);  and  a  hundred  merks  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Aikinan,  W.  S.  The  will  is  given  at  "  my  dwelling  house  in  St. 
MarysWyndin  the  head  of  tlie  Cmwugate,"  the  witnesses  being  Lieut. 
Col.  Alexander  Hamilton,  of  Innerwick.  and  Archibald  Rollo,  Secretary 
to  James  Blair,  Writer  in  Edinburgh.  A  codicil  was  made,  November 
25,  1707.  Witnesses:  Lieut.-Col.  Alexander  Hamilton  of  Innerwick, 
James  Findlay,  W.S.,  and  John  Moncrieffe,  servant  to  the  same,  in  which 
Clempnt  Gourlay's  share  is  given  to  "Ann  Hamilton,  second  lawful 
daughter  to  the  late  James  Hamilton  of  Innerdovat,  my  brother,  now 
spouse  to  John  Burns  of  Middlemilne,  and  failing  of  her  by  decease,  to 
her  eliildren  Jolin,  Alexander,  and  Mary  Burns." 


John  Hamilton'  (John'  and  Anna  Elphinstone),  baptized  25 
January,  1(1-12,  was  a  merchant  in  Edinburgh  and  for  many  years  until 
his  death  "  Baillie  of  tlie  Abbey  of  Holyroodhouse,"  no  doubt  an  hon- 
orary office  in  tlie  gift  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  who  was  and  is  Heredi- 
tary Keeper  of  the  Palace  of  Holyrood.  (There  was  a  William  Hamilton 
whose  wife  was  Elizabeth  Haliburton,  and  whose  will  is  recorded  Novem- 
ber 3,  1732,  long  "  under  keeper  of  the  Palace  of  Holyroodhouse,"  but 
who  he  was  we  do  not  know.) 

John  Hamilton' married,  September  15,  1687,  Catherine  Arbuthnot, 
and  July  25,  16S8,  had  a  daughter  Jane  baptized,  the  witnesses  being 
Lord  John  Hamilton,  Alexander  and  Harry  Hamilton,  John's'  brothers, 
John  Cunningham,  W.  S.,  and  James  Arbuthnot,  Catherine's  brother. 
John  Hamilton's  testament  dative  is  given,  January  17,  1722,  by 
"  William  Hamilton,  eldest  son  to  the  deceased."  Another  son  James  is 
also  mentioned,  but  further  than  this  we  know  nothing  of  the  children  of 
John  and  Catherine  Hamilton.    The  John,  Lord  Hamilton,  who  was 


23 

sponsor  for  his  kinsman  John  Hamilton's  eldest  child,  was  afterwards 
Earl  of  Ruglen.  He  was  a  son  of  the  great  Duciioss  Anne  Hamilton, 
and  a  brother  of  James,  fourth  Duke  of  Hamilton  and  first  Earl  of 
Arran 


Frederick  Hamilton'  (John"  and  Anna  Elphiuetoiie)  was  also  a  mer- 
chant in  Edinburgh.  He  married  Rachel  Ogstoun,  who  bore  him  at 
least  eight  children,  the  baptisms  of  the  first  two  of  whom  are  recorded 
in  the  old  Parish  of  the  Canongate,  the  others  in  the  Parish  of  Edinburgh. 
These  children  were  : 


Rachel^,      baptized 

Frederick^,       ' ' 

Thomas', 

Janet*, 

Sarah', 

Alexander^, 

James*, 

Charles', 


16  September,  1660. 
8  December,  1670. 

26  September,  1672. 

27  October,  1674. 
26  May,  1676. 

24  October,  1670. 
4  April,  1682. 
20  June,  1683. 


' 


There  was  a  Frederick,  who  may  have  been  Frederick^,  in  Glasgow. 
He  married  Janet  Sinclair,  and  had  children :  Susanna,  baptized  2() 
November,  1697 ;  Frederick,  baptized  29  October,  1703. 


wwrfrnmim^m 


^^ 


■■*■ 


^P^naWBP^mamHiPfqHqp 


immmmmfm 


I 


THIRD  AND  FOURTH  GENERATIONS 


James  Hamilton'  (Colonel  Thomas',  John'  and  Anna  Elphinstone), 
baptized  June  17,  1675.    He  entered  the  army  early  and  in  1695  wae 
wounded  at  the  siege  of  Namur,  where  King  William  commanded  in  per- 
son.   After  the  peace  of  1697  he  studied  law  at  Leyden,  and  was  ad- 
mitted an  advocate  in  1703.      Some  time  later  he  was  appointed  by 
Queen  Anne,  Sheriff  of  Haddington  County,  an  office  which  he  held 
until  about  the  time  of  the  birth  of  his  second  child,  in  1715.     He  had  a 
charter  of  the  lands  of  "Over  Olivestob,"  dated  February  12, 1717,  which 
was  very  likely  about  the  time  of  his  father's  death.    March  5,  1712, 
he  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Walter  Chiesly,  of  Dairy,  who  bore 
him  at  least  nine  children.    In  later  life  having  financial  difficulties  he 
sold  Olivestob  to  the  well  known  Colonel  Gardiner,  who  fell  at  the  Battle 
of  Prestonpans,  September  21,  1745.    The  scene  of  this  battle,  as  we 
have  already  said,  is  only  a  few  rods  to  the  eastward  of  the  mansion  of 
Olivestob,  and  among  the  oak  trees  which  shade  the  lawn  of  the  house, 
stands  a  monument  to  this  gallant  officer.    At  Col.  Gardiner's  death, 
Olivestob  was  purchased  by  Andrew  MacDowal,  Esq.,  advocate,  who  on 
his  elevation  to  the  Bench,  about  ten  years  later,  "  out  of  delicacy  to  his 
friend  Mr.  Hamilton,"  who  was  always  known  as  Olivestob,  renamed  the 
place  "  Bankton,"  taking  his  title  of  "  Lord  Bankton  "  therefrom.  James 
Hamilton  died  at  Baintield,  in  1757,  aged  eighty-two.    His  wife,  Margaret 
Chiesly,  was,  as  we  have  said,  a  daughter  of  Walter  Chiesly,  of  Dairy, 
whose  unhappy  fate  is  a  matter  of  local  history.     She  had  at  least  one 
brother,  Major  Chiesly,  and  one  sister,  Rachel,  who  was  the  wife  of  the 
famous  James  Erskine,  Lord  Grange  (a  Lord  of  Session),  son  of  Charles, 
tenth  Earl  of  Mar,  grandson  of  George,  second  Earl  of  Panmure,  and 
brother  of  John,  eleventh  Earl  of  Mar,  and  James,  Knight  Marischal  of 
Scotland.    The  story  of  Lady  Grange's  treatment  by  her  husband  is 
among  the  most  singular  traditions  of  Edinburgh.     She  had  evidently 
inherited  a  large  share  of  her  father's  insanity,  and  from  her  violent 
temper  was  a  person  impossible  to  live  with.    Accordingly,  in  January, 
1 732,  after  she  and  Lord  Grange  had  been  married  for  upwards  of  twenty 


' 


I 


*»  *~*~T^ii— «l«<*  ■ 


^ 


35 

years  and  had  had  several  children,  her  husband  having  suffered  from 
her  it  is  true  the  greatest  provocations,  had  her  forcibly  seized  and  carried 
off  to  the  lonely  western  islands  of  Scotland,  where  she  was  kept  until 
her  death  in  May,  1745.  Her  home  for  fourteen  years  was  "the  re- 
motest spot  of  ground  connected  with  the  British  Islands— namely,  the 
isle  of  St.  Kilda,  the  property  of  the  Chief  of  the  Macleod"  (Robert 
Chambers'  "Traditions  of  Edinburgh").  One  of  this  unhappy  lady's 
daughters,  Mary  Erskine,  was  married  in  1729  to  John  third  Earl  of 
Kintore,  Knight  Marischal  of  Scotland,  who  died  without  issue.  Novem- 
ber 23,  1758. 

The  children  of  James'  and  Margaret  Chiesly  were  as  follows : 

JameR*,     baptized,     5  February,  1713. 

(Born  the  same  day.) 
Thomas*, 

Rachel*,  "         J 6  November,  HIT. 

(Born  on  the  llth.) 
Andrew*,        "         20  January,  1719. 

(Born  on  the  14th.) 
Helen*,  "  3  October.  1731. 

Frederick*.     "  IJamiary,  1724. 

(Born  on  the  18th  December,  1723.) 
Walter*,  "         25  March   1725. 

^ Born  on  the  18th.) 

Ann*,  "         24  September,  1737. 

(Born  on  the  18th.) 
Bobina*,         "         12  March,  1720. 
(Born  on  the  8d.) 

Lord  Grange,  and  various  in,ale  members  of  the  Ilumilton  family, 
as  a  rule  were  witnesses  at  these  baptisms.  At  James'*  baptism  two  of 
the  witnesses  were  his  uncles  Alexander  and  William.  Of  the  daughters, 
Rachel*  died  at  Pattenow,  near  Edinburgii,  March  (3,  1759,  her  testament 
dative  being  recorded  by  her  brother-in-law  and  executor,  William 
Wemyss,  January  9, 1760.  In  this  document  "  Captain  James  Hamilton 
only  son  of  Mr.  James  Hamilton  of  Oiivestob  "  is  mentioned.  This  must 
mean  only  liviiig  son.     Robina*  was  the  wife  of  William  Wemyss,  Esq., 


i 


f^Tim 


wirysmmm 


26 

W.  S.,  of  Edinburgh,  and  had  children  :  John,  Captain  of  the  59th  Eegi- 
ment,  William  Sinclair,  Captain  of  the  48th  Regiment,  Francis,  Captain 
in  the  Eoyal  Navy,  Otho  Herman,  admitted  an  advocate  in  1785.  Robina^ 
died  in  1794. 

The  heir  of  James  Hamilton'  was  his  second  son  Thomas^  born 
probably  in  1715,  Major  of  the  8th  Royal  Irish  Dragoons.*    Before  en- 
tering the  army  he  went  out  as  Lieutenant  of  Marines  on  board  the 
Wager,  man-of-war,  in  Lord  Anson's  expedition  to  the  South  Seas,  and 
was  wrecked  with  Lord  Byron  and  Captain  Clieape  in  the  course  of  Lord 
Anson's  celebrated  voyage  in  1746,  the  party  suffering  great  hardships 
and  being  given  up  for  lost.     He  married  his  first  cousin  Elizabeth 
Urquhart,  daughter  of  Colonel  Alexander  Urqnhart  of  Newhall,  and 
sister  of  Grizel,  wife  of  Sir  Robert  Dalzell,  sixth  Earl  of  Carnwath. 
(Grizel  who  was  Earl's  second  wife,  was  a  great-grand-daughter  of  John 
Hamilton  of  Muirhouse  and  Olivestob.    The  Earl's  third  wife,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  Hamilton  of  Bangour,  grand- 
daughter of  John  Hamilton").  Major  Thomas  Hamilton^  died  in  1773.  Ho 
had  at  least  seven  children,— live  sons,  all  of  whom  are  said  to  have  been  in 
the  army,  and  to  have  died  unmarried,  and  two  daughters,  Jean',  who  was 
married  to  Major  Gibson,  and  a  daughter  who  died  unmarried.    The 
very  few  living  descendants  of  Major  Thomas  Hamilton  can  give  little 
information  about  this  family  save  in  the  case  of  the  daughter  Jean'. 
Mr.  J.  G.  H.  Starke,  who  is  a  grandson  of  Jean  and  her  husband  Major 
Gibson,  writes  that  the  last  surviving  son  was  John',  a  captain  in  the  73d 
Regiment,  who  left  everything  at  his  death  to  his  sister  Jean,  but  he 
does  not  known  the  names  of  his  other  great  uncles.    Captain  John's 
will,  Mr.  Starke  says,  is  in  his  possession,  and  is  dated  January  17,  1785. 
Major  Gibson  and  his  wife  Jean  Hamilton^  had  two  daughters :  Jean' 
who  was  married  to  James  Starke,  Esq.,  of  Troqueer  Holm,  and  Sarah,' 
who  died  unmarried  in    1857.    Major  Gibson  had  his  arms  impaled 
with  those  of  Hamilton  of  Olivestob.    The  only  descendants  of  Major 
Thomas  Hamilton*  now  living  are  the  two  sons  of  Mr.  James  Starke : 

•King  George  once  said  of  Major  Thomas  Hamilton*  at  a  review  at  Portobello  : 
"  Put  Hamilton  on  horseback  and  Elphinstone  on  foot,  and  show  me  two  men  in  the 
Kingdom  like  them." 


7 


'..I  ja>*.'"ii,._<jiF«*^»  M  ^J  ■■■■     —^  — -....^wt^ 


-n 


27 

James  Gibson  Hamilton  Starke,  Esq.,  of  Troqueer  Holm,  Dumfriesshire, 
M.A.,  F.S.A.,  J.P.  (born  February  9,  1837,  m.  April  16,  1863,  Amelia, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Rowland  Bloxam,  M.A.,),  who  was  called 
to  the  Scottish  bar  in  1862,  and  was  for  nine  years  one  of  H.  M.  judges 
in  Jamaica ;  and  Major  General  William  Starke,  born  April  18, 1839. 

Mr.  J.  G.  H.  Starke,  in  the  seventh  generation  from  John  of  Muir- 
house  and  Olivestob,  is  therefore  the  lineal  representative  {heir  of  line) 
of  Col.  Thomas  Hamilton',  and  as  such  a  few  years  ago  took  the  ad- 
ditional surname  of  Hamilton  and  had  assigned  to  him  the  arms  of  Thomas 
Hamilton'.  Where  the  heirship  male  of  the  family  of  Thomas  Hamil- 
ton is,  it  is  impossible  to  say,  but  it  seems  unlikely  that  of  all  his  eight  sons 
there  are  none  who  have  living  descendants  bearing  the  family  name ; 
it  is  almost  certain,  at  least,  that  there  are  male  descendants  of  Major 
Otho  Hamilton  of  the  40th  Regiment. 

Mr.  J.  G.  H.  Starke  possesses  miniatures  of  Major  Thomas  Hainil- 
ton<  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  Urquhart,  and  also  seals  and  letters  of  the 
family. 


\ 


Archibald  Hamilton'  (Colonel  Thomas',  John"  and  Anna  Elphin- 
stoae),  baptized  April  21,  1681.  At  his  baptism,  as  wo  have  seen,  two  of 
the  witnesses  were  Archibald  first  Earl  of  Forfar  (son  of  Archibald 
second  Earl  of  Ormond),  and  Henry  Hamilton',  the  child's  uncle.  As  in 
the  case  of  so  many  others  of  the  Olivestob  Hainiltons  we  have  no  pre- 
served record  of  Archibald's'  family,  but  in  1747  he  had  a  grandson 
Henry'  born  (apparently  the  child  of  a  son  j/Otho^),  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica about  1770  and  founded  a  small  family,  the  leading  branch  of  which 
was  in  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia.  Henry'  married  in  New  England, 
October  5,  1780,  Eunice,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Lord,  Esq.,  of  a  well- 
known  American  family,  between  whom  and  the  New  Hampshire  Went- 
worths  there  were  frequent  intermarriages,  and  died  February  21,  1819. 
His  seven  children  were :  Sarah',  Otho%  Jeremiah',  Henry',  Margaret*,' 
Simeon',  and  Archibald',  of  whom  Otho,  Henry,  Margaret,  Simeon,  and 
Archibald  were  named  for  members  of  their  father's  family  in  Scotland. 
Of  these  sons,  Otho',  born  May  2,  1784,  and  Henry',  born  November  2, 


^- 


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28 

1787,  alone  married.  Otho'  married  in  Nova  Scotia,  June  19,  1813, 
Maria  Starr,  only  a^ngbter  of  Samuel  and  Lydia  (DeWolf)  Starr,  and  a 
near  connection  of  the  Willoughbys,  and  by  her  had  seven  children ; 
Susan',  born  Marcii  10,  1814,  Minetta  Bath',  born  March  15,  1816, 
Henry'  Starr,  born  August  18,  1818,  Margaret  Maria',  born  February  6, 
1821,  Otho^  born  August  2,  1823,  Josephine  Collins'  born  December  11, 
1826,  Anna  Augusta  Willoughby',  born  September  11,  1828.  The  sons 
of  this  family  died  leaving  no  issue.  Of  tlie  daughters,  Margaret  Maria, 
was  married  to  Brenton  Halliburton  Harris,  tiftii  son  of  the  Hon.  James 
Delap  Harris,  M.L.O.  (s.  p.) ;  Josephine  Collins'  was  married  (1)  to 
Rufus  Eaton,  Esq.,  (2)  to  the  Rev.  D,  Stuart  Hamilton,  D.C.L.  (probably 
of  the  Bathgate  family) ;  Anna  Augusta  Willoughby'  was  married  to 
William  Eaton,  Esq.,  and  died  September  23,  1883.  Susan'  died  Febru- 
ary 17,  1892,  Minetta  Bath'  died  February  13,  1892. 

Josephine  Collins  Hamilton'  by  both  marriages  has  live  children 
living;  Anna  Augusta  Willoughby  Hamilton' by  her  marriage  to  Wil- 
liam Eaton  has  six  children  living,  of  whom  the  Rev.  Arthur  Wentworth 
Hamilton  Eaton  is  the  eldest. 

Otho  Hamilton'  died  ^[ay  21,  1831.  His  brother  Henry*  married  a 
cousin,  Mary  Lord,  and  died  November  25,  1825,  leaving  one  daughter' 
Mary  Elizabeth  Hamilton',  born  November  4,  1824,  who  is  still  living. 
By  the  death  in  Nova  Scotia  in  1892,  of  the  two  eldest  daughters  of 
Otho',  the  Hamilton  name  in  tiiis  American  branch  of  the  Olivestob 
family  became  extinct. 


Major  Otho  Hamilton'  (Colonel  Thomas',  John"  and  Anna  Elphin- 
stone),  born  about  1690,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  persons  with  whom 
wo  have  to  deal.  Ho  also  spent  many  years  of  his  life  in  the  Province 
of  Nova  Scotia,  wiiere  he  was  connected  with  the  military  government, 
where  ho  married,  and  wliero  his  tiiree  children  undoubtedly  were  born. 
He  himself  was  almost  certainly  born  in  Edinburgh,  though  his  baptism 
is  not  recorded  there,  about  the  year  1690. 

On  tlie  eleventli  of  April,  1713,  the  famous  Treaty  of  Utrecht  was 
signed,  by  which  Nova  Scotia  or  Acadia  was  finally  ceded  to  Great 


r 


29 


I 


f 


Britain,  and  passed  from  under  French  control.  In  December,  1714, 
there  were  in  the  t'lrrison  of  Annapolis  Royal,  three  independent  com- 
panies having  a^  jaains,  respectively,  J.  Williams,  Lawrence  Armstrong, 
and  Christopher  Aldridgc.  The  only  officers  in  "Williams'  company 
(which  consisted  in  all  of  forty-three  men)  above  tlie  rank  of  sergeant, 
were  himself  and  a  young  Ensign,  Otho  Hamilton,  who  had  undoubtedly 
but  lately  come  to  the  Acadian  Provlnce-by-the-Sea.*  The  settlement  of 
Nova  Scotia  first  and  last  attracted  many  Scotchmen,  and  young  Hamil- 
ton was  no  doubt  one  of  a  number  who  came  at  this  time  together  to 
Annapolis.  January  tenth,  1715,  on  entering  the  army,  he  took  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  King  George  I.,  and  one  of  the  witnesses  thereto  was  Dr. 
William  Skene,  probably  also  an  Edinburgli  man,  who  was  for  many 
years  afterwards,  apparently,  the  leading  physician  at  this  little  military 
post  in  tile  new  world,  and  probably  Mr.  Hamilton's  father-in-law.  Later 
there  were  four  companies  at  Aimapolis,  and  in  1717  these,  with  four 
companies  at  Placentia  in  Newfoundland,  and  two  companies  besides, 
were  formed  into  one  regiment  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Philipps, 
which  was  thenceforth  to  be  known  as  tlie  40th  Regiment  of  Foot.  Pro- 
motion for  Mr.  Hamilton  came  slowly,  for  it  was  not  until  September  3, 
1739,  that  he  received  his  Captaincy,  and  not  until  1761  that  he  received 
his  Majority.  In  1727,  however,  he  was  appointed  acting  Secretary  of 
the  Comicil  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  in  1731  was  created  a  Member  of  Coun- 
cil, whicli  position  he  lield,  in  addition  to  lii.s  military  command,  until  at 
least  1740,  when  he  was  one  of  the  five  councillors  appointed  by  royal 
commission  from  Nova  Scotia,  to  help  settle  the  disputed  boundaries  be- 
tween the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  the  Colony  of  Rhode 
Island. 


Ihere  was  al8o  a  John  Hamilton  at  Annapdisatanearly  Period.  In  March  1784 
the  Lieutenant  Governor  commissioned  '•  John  Hamilton,  gentleman,"  Naval  Officer 
for  the  port  of  Annapolis.  September  30th,  of  the  same  year,  John  Hamilton,  Deputy 
rolleetor  and  Naval  Officer,  was  ordered  to  go  in  the  sloop  Mary,  Stride,  master  toSt 
John,  to  prevent  illicit  trade.  Murdoch's  History  of  Nova  Scotia,  Vol  11.,  pp  97  50l' 
;2?;. ,'"  *^^®  ""^  "'**  °  Member  of  the  Council  and  received  grants  of  land.  April  23' 
1740  he  was  sworn  in  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Council,  and  in  1749  he  made  a  del 
maml  fo'  damage  sustained  by  the  pulling  down  of  a  building  or  buildings  belonging 
tohira,  dunn?  the  siege  of  Annapolis.  Who  this  John  Hamilton  was  is  not  known 
but  It  seoms  likely  that  he  was  a  near  relative,  perhaps  a  cousin,  or  even  another 
brother  (f  Major  Otho  s. 


l^~.    4JIUUk.l.ri 


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30 

In  the  Nova  Scotia  archives  after  1740  there  are  frequent  notices  of 
Mr.  Hamilton,  who  remained  in  the  Province  until  at  least  1764,  when 
he  probably  retired  from  the  army  and  received  the  appointment  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Placentia,  a  town  and  garrison  on  the  northern  shore  of 
Newfoundland.  We  do  not  know  the  exact  date  of  his  appointment  to 
this  post,  nor  whether  he  ever  actually  resided  in  Placentia,  but  we  do 
know  that  for  some  reason  he  soon  removed  to  Waterford,  Ireland,  where 
he  made  his  will  in  1768,  and  died,  February  17,  1770.  In  this  will, 
which  was  proved  March  14,  1770,  and  where  he  appears  as  "  Otho 
Hamilton  of  the  city  of  Waterford,  Esquire,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the 
Town  and  Garrison  of  Placentia  in  His  Majesty's  Island  of  Newfound- 
land," he  mentions,  besides  his  children  and  their  families,  his  friend 
Charles  Gould,  Esquire,  of  the  Horse  Guards,  his  servant  Caesar,  to 
whom  he  bequeaths  his  freedom  and  ten  pounds,  and  his  "wife's  sister, 
Mrs.  Anne  Skene."  His  executors  are  his  two  sons  and  Charles  Gould. 
From  this  reference  to  his  wife's  sister  Mrs.  (probably  JUiss)  Anne  Skene, 
and  from  the  fact  of  his  early  acquaintance  with  the  Skene  family  iu 
Annapolis,  an  acquaintance  which  most  likely  began  in  Scotland,  it 
seems  almost  certain  that  his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  William 
Skene,*  but  otherwise  than  in  this  record  we  have  no  clue  to  her  name. 
The  only  direct  mention  we  have  ever  found  of  her  is  in  a  letter  of  Ma- 
jor Hamilton's  to  Paul  Mascarene,  of  August  15,  1726,  preserved  in  the 
Nova  Scotia  archives.  Major  Hamilton's  children  were  two  sons,  John 
and  Otho,  and  a  daughter  Grizel.  His  eldest  son  John^,  who  was  born 
probably  after  1720,  in  November,  1749,  was  Lieutenant  of  the 
40th  at  Captain  Ilandfield's  fort  at  Mines,  and  in  1754,  Captain  at 
Annapolis  Royal,  and  Fort  Lawrence.  In  the  former  year  he  and 
eighteen  men  belonging  to  the  fort  at  Mines  were  captured  by  a  party  of 
Indians  and  taken  to  Quebec,  where  they  were  kept  for  about  two  years 
until  they  wore  ransomed  by  the  payment  of  a  sum  of  money.    During 


♦  He  was  possibly  the  William  Skene  born  Jun»  14,  1676,  son  of  Eobert  and  Barbara 
(Douglas)  Skene,  and  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Andrew  Skene,  Parson  of  Turriff  in  Aber- 
deenshire,  who  died  in  167ti.  Robert  and  Barbara  Skene  had  children;  John,  b.  28 Dec, 
1671,  Anna,  b.  9  Aug.,  1673,  William,  b,  14  June,  1676.  See  Skene  family  memorials, 
pp.  65.  There  was  also  a  Mr.  William  Skene,  master  of  the  High  School  in  Edinburgh, 
whose  will  was  recorded  May  2,  1718. 


81 


his  imprisonment  Lieutenant  Hamilton  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
notorious  Abbe  Le  Lontre,  wlio  afterwaru.  made  him  the  medium  of 
communication  between  himself  and  the  English  Government.    In  his 
father's  will  John  Hamilton  is  called  "Captain  John  Hamilton,  late  of 
the  -tOth  Foot,"  which  seems  entirely  to  disprove  Anderson's  statement 
Hiat  he  succeeded  his  father  in  the  Majority  and  was  Colonel  of  the  40th 
Regiment  when  he  died.     A  young  widower  he  married  (2)  at  Annapolis, 
August  15,  1752,  Mary  Handfield,  daughter  of  Captain  John  Handfield 
of  the  40th,  who  was  concerned  in  the  removal  of  the  Acadians  from 
Nova  Scotia  in  1755,  Captain  Handfield  himself  in  the  absence  of   a 
chaplain  performing  the  ceremony.    By  Major  Otho's'  will  we  learn 
that  John  had  three  sons,  Otho,'  William,'  and  Thomas,'  one  or  more  of 
whom,  or  whose  descendants,  according  to  Anderson,  in  1825  were  living 
in  Cumberland,  England.  John^died  before  1802,  Anderson  says,  in  Ireland. 
Major  Otho's  son  Otho*  probably  entered  the  army  very  early,  though 
there  are  few  notices  of  him  to  be  found  until  October  21,  1768,  when 
in  his  father's  place  as  Major  of  the  mh  Regiment  he  married,  in  Ireland 
Catherine  Elizabeth  Clement  Hawtrey,of  Waterford,  probably  a  sister  of 
Rev.  Ralph  Hawtrey,  whose  name  appears  in  his  will.  In  1767-8  the  40th 
Regiment,  and  Major  Hamilton  with  it,  was  quartered  at  Dublin,  and  in 
1769  at  Cork.    Between  1772  and  1778,  it  was  stationed  at  various  places 
in  America,  m  the  latter  year  at  Philadelphia.    At  some  time  after  1768 
Major  Hamilton  was  transferred  to  the  59th  Regiment,  and  by  Vol.  13, 
p.  18,  of  the  "Essex  Institute  "  (Mass.)  wo  learn  that  as  Colonel  of  the 
59th,  he  came  to  the  assistance  of  Governor  Gage  at  Boston,  in  1774 
Anderson  says :  "  He  died  in  1811,  after  an  active  and  honorable  service 
of  half  a  century's  continuance,   principally  in  America,  under  the  late 
Lord  Amherst  and  General  Wolfe,  by  whose  friendship  and  confidence 
he  was  particularly  distinguished."     His  will  was  made,  February  5,  1802, 
and  proved  by  his  widow  at  London  (in  the  Prerogative  Court  of  Can- 
terbury, and  a  copy'lodged  in  the  Prerogative  Court  of  Ireland),  April  5, 
1811.    In  this  record  he  is  called,  "  Otho  Hamilton,  of  the  parish  of  St! 
Margaret's,  Westminster,  Co.  Middlesex,  Barrack  Master  of  Romford,  Co. 
Essex."    He  leaves  a  considerable  property,  including  his  dwelling  hous  c 
at  15,  James  Street,  Westminster,  and  in  his  will  mentions  his  son  Ralph 
his  daughter  Grizel  Ann   Hamilton',    his    grandson    Otho    William' 


!7«eBBi 


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■„■— ji'  -u-.»'3t:ii^  riW 


^ssBsmssssmm^gmaam 


32 

Hawtrey  Hamilton',  his  brother  John  Hamilton  (deceased),  and  the  Rev. 
Ealph  Hawtrey  of  "Waterford,  Ireland. 

Of  Colonel  Ralph  Hamilton'  of  the  Horse  Guards,  only  son  of  Col. 
Otho  Hamilton*,  Anderson  says  in  1827:  "Col.  Otho  Hamilton's  only 
son,  the  present  Col.  Ralph  Hamilton,  entered  the  army  in  1783,  served 
abroad  with  the  Guards  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  French  Revolution- 
ary "War  in  1793,  and  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  the  present  Duke  of  Gloucester 
in  North  Holland,  in  1799.  He  has  now  living,  three  sons  and  one 
daughter."  These  were  Otho  William  Hawtrey,  William  Frederick, 
George  Burton,  and  Emma  Eliza.  Col.  Hamilton  wrote  a  poetical  ac- 
count of  the  campaigns  of  1793  and  1794. 

Grizel,*  the  only  daughter  of  Major  Otho  Hamiltous,  and  sister  of 
John*  and  Otho*,  was  married  beforu  IIOS  to  General  Richard  Dawson  of 
the  Engineers.  She  and  her  husband  are  mentioned  in  her  father's  will. 
Their  children  are  also  mentioned,  but  not  by  name. 


} 


Hugh  Hamilton",  brother  of  John'  of  Muirhouseand  Olivestob  ,mar- 
ried  (1)  Jeane  Thomson,  who  bore  him  at  least  five  children  ;  (2)  Chris- 
tian Ewing,  who  bore  him  at  least  nine.  The  names  of  these  children 
were :  Susanna,  Marion,  Jeane,  John,  Anna,  Archibald,  Christian,  Marion, 
Hugh,  John,  Archibald,  Anna,  James,  and  Margaret.  The  record  of 
their  baptisms  will  be  found  in  the  Parish  Registers  of  Edinburgh. 

Anderson  states  that  among  the  Olivestob  Hamiltons  in  Scotland,  a 
settled  tradition  existed  that  there  was  a  near  relationship  between  them 
and  the  distinguished  Hamiltons  of  Sweden,  Barons  and  Counts.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Olivestob  family,  it  is  said,  "  when  a  young  man,  was  sent  to 
Sweden  to  a  mercantile  house,  where  he  had  not  long  remained  when  he 
entered  the  Swedish  army,  rose  in  course  of  time  to  high  military  rank,  and 
finally  settled  in  Sweden."  If  this  tradition  is  at  all  correct,  it  may  have 
been  one  of  the  brothers  of  John  Hamilton",  who  founded  the  Swedish 
family ;  it  certainly  was  not  one  of  his  sons.  The  iirst  of  the  Swedish 
family  ennobled  was  Hugo,  who  in  1664  was  created  a  Baron  of  Sweden  by 
Queen  Christina :  Hugh',  son  of  John",  was  not  born  until  1649,  so  the 
founder  of  the  Swedish  branch  of  the  family  must  be  put  at  least  a  genera- 
tion back  of  the  children  of  John  Hamilton'  of  Muirhouse  and  Olivestob. 


M 


} 


